Digital Transformation: A Strategic Structure for Implementation

With the advent of digital technologies, society is reshaping itself  radically. In the last decade, digital technologies have brought  fundamental changes in the industry and business environment. The  holistic socioeconomic and industrial changes are a result of  general-purpose technology aspects of digital transformation, which are  rare and have inherent capabilities of self-transformation to bring  long-term benefits across the entire global business environment. After  the steam engine, electric generator and printing press, the recent  development of digital transformation has created an opportunity with  extensive sustainable and incremental influence for disruption and  renovation. However, the most important difference between digital  transformation and the previous general-purpose technologies such as  steam engines and electric generators is the pace of technology’s  penetration across the globe. To cope with the accelerated speed of  global digitization, the digital transformation process should be  accepted, adopted and adapted across society and business utilizing a  multi-dimensional strategy. This book illustrates a strategic structure  that covers Digital Challenges for Industries, Applicability for Digital  Transformation, Digital Transformation Framework, People and  Organization Structure, Capability Delivery Activities and Life Cycle  Benefits.

How will businesses embrace digital transformation?  How will organizations formulate a digital transformation strategy? How  will they invest in digital technologies? To answer these questions, a  strategic structure is created which can provide guidelines to  businesses to create a framework for digital transformation that  includes strategy, process, governance and funding. The exponential  growth in data capacity (storage, process and communication) due to  rapid digitalization has created infinite opportunities and different  dimensions to businesses. Digital platforms have enabled alternative  business models by deconstructing the traditional value chains. Agile  concepts driven by design thinking have brought innovative perspectives  with an environment of boundless disruption.

To run a company  with sustainability and manage disruptions more consciously, the  adoption of a digital platform with an appropriate strategy is the only  viable option. Digital transformation (DX) goals and strategies should  be in line with a company’s business objectives. The strategic structure  explained in the book is a global framework that can be adopted by any  profit or nonprofit organization. Like any other transformational  process, digital transformation has created structural tension between  "old" and "new". In this tension, employees play a large role and their  clarity of thought regarding the transformation process is of paramount  interest. To overcome this tension, companies need to orient as learning  organizations, which will provide opportunities for growth in an  ambidextrous environment, embraced with a digital ecosystem. The book  explains how the structural tension between old and new can be mitigated  by effectively involving all stakeholders in the transformation  process.